Shifting Nights 1st prs
by RaucousRaven
Summary: John Egbert leads a very mundane life, until one day while walking home from school, he finds someone who'll change his entire life. Shapeshifting AU. John Egbert X Karkat Vantas


**So, I got some bitching about "prohibits" the use of the second person or some shit. I posted this to calm their tits. It's got a fuck ton of errors, but that's only because I had to change the whole damn thing to first person. Ugh. Enjoy :3 (This'll be the only chapter I post on , since I'm not rewriting the whole fucking story. You can find the rest on my DeviantArt under RaucousRaven, along with a few other JohnKat oneshots)**

My name's John Egbert, and I'm currently sitting in math class.

It's the end of the semester, the warm sunlight filtering through the classroom windows and the air conditioning unit droning in the background announced the arrival of summer in less than a month.

The class' teacher lectures on about the importance of the use of parentheses in my life or something, most of the students either staring at the most interesting ceiling tiles or doodling various images in the margin of their sheets.

My best bro, Dave Strider, looks asleep, his closed ruby irises hidden by his shades, which are slightly askew and his face is propped up in one hand. I think he might even be drooling a little.

I look over to another one of my best friends, Jade Harley, who seems to be vaguely interested in the lecture.

Beside her, another one of my best friends sit, Rose Lalonde. Her on the other hand, is scribbling down every single word that comes out of the teacher's mouth like her life depended on it. Not that she doesn't already know it all.

I sigh, scrubbing my eyes under my thick frames with the heel of my hand and glance at the clock. Ten more minutes.

My name is John Egbert, and I lead a very mundane life.

The cheerful tune of the bell signals the end of another day. The students gather their belongings then shuffle out of the classroom, eager to get home.

I collect my stuff and stand up, stretching and listening to the pop of my back, the result of sitting in the same position for too long.

I look over to see Dave still asleep, and consider pranking him. Unfortunately, I don't have a permanent marker with me, so I'm unable to draw a charming mustache on my friends face. Oh well, I'd make up for it later.

I nudge him awake with my foot, and he shoots up with alarm.

"What year is it?" He asks fixing his shades while collecting his homework.

"I weren't asleep that long, Dave. Oh, and you were drooling."

"What? I don't drool in my sleep."

The two of us walk out of the classroom and into the hall, where most of the kids have already gone home, and head over to our lockers.

"So, you workin' tonight, or can I come chill?"

I smile apologetically. "Sorry, I need to help my dad tonight, but we can chill tomorrow."

He nods. "Sounds cool, Egbert. See you around."

And with that, he slings his bag on his shoulder and heads out of the building.

I sigh. As much as I love my dad, it can be a pain having to help him out almost everyday after school. My family owns the local bakery, the only bakery in such a small town. Being such, my dad get's alot of business, and needs me to go over and help him often. I don't mind really, but I'd like to spend more time with my friends.

I close my locker door, and it echoes in the now near-empty building.

When I walk out of the school, a nice summer breeze blows at my black hair, smelling like freshly cut grass. I inhale deeply, taking in the fresh air and the warm rays of sun, and take the familiar wooded path home.

I live on the far side of small town I live in, so the walk home can get pretty long. I should hurry if I want to get to the bakery in time before my dad gets too many customers.

The road that leads to my house passes through the forest, and the shade created by the large oak trees is a welcome relief from the hot summer sun. There are less and less cars passing I, then all I can hear are the leaves dancing in the wind and the birds calling to each other.

Everything's peaceful for a while, then I hear a faint sound. It's an animalistic sound, but there's no confusing a pained whine.

I whip my head around, searching for the source of the noise.

"Hello?" I ask to the empty forest, straining my ears.

After a good minute, I decide I'm just a little bit more tired than I thought. I keep walking on the dirt path with my hands in the pockets of my cargo pants.

The sound is nearly forgotten, until I hear it again, this time louder, closer. I jump a little, startled, and spin around, scanning my surroundings.  
I'm about to give up again, until this time, I spot something on the forest ground. Is that... Blood?

A smear of blood, where something was dragged, disappears behind a group of shrubs.

Slowly, I creep towards the bush ready to take off at a sprint in the case of danger.

I peer over the bush, and gasp.

In front of me, a large body is stretched out on the undergrowth. It was a cat. An enormous cat. Larger than any of the tigers I've seen as a kid when my dad brought me to the zoo in the city.

It's covered in glossy jet-black fur, its underbelly a charcoal grey. Its eyes are closed and its mouth is open, revealing large canine teeth.

Then, for the second time in less than a minute, I gasp again.

On the feline's shoulder, there's a large bullet wound slowly oozing bright-red blood, which slowly pours onto the forest floor, seeping into the earth.

I would have thought the creature was dead, but the slow, unsteady rise and fall of its sides.

I stand there, gawking, then realize that if I leave it here much longer, it'll probably die. I take a deep breath, and fish out my phone. Now, who can I call. Dave would think it's a prank, so I won't call him. Rose is really crazy smart, so she'd know what to do, but Jade knows all about animals, and her grandfather's the local veterinarian. I decide to call Jade.

I glance up at the cat, then back to the phone. I do a double take, and find myself staring straight into the animal's eye. A brilliantly red orb with a black slit through the middle bores into me.

I freeze, but don't dare break eye contact. I can see so much raw emotion. Anger, pain, hatred and fear. Never before have I seen so much anger in one being. It must be weakening, because the red iris slips shut once more, releasing me from its glare, and its breathing becomes shallow and wheezing.

What was I doing? Oh right, calling Jade. I briefly wonder if anyone else would do this. Wouldn't they just run? I don't have time to ponder these thoughts though, because I hear a familiar voice.

"Hello?"

I sigh in relief. "Jade, hi. I need your help. You see I was walking home from school, and once I got to the forest I heard..."

I trail off at the end because I glance back towards the feline, only to find out it's gone.

Nowhere in sight.

Now, where the creature lay, in its place, is a very much human, and a very much dying, unconscious boy.


End file.
